1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a sliding roof apparatus for vehicles such as automobiles and more particularly to apparatus for preventing vibration of the sliding roof.
2. Background of the Invention
Generally, in automobiles having an opening in the roof, a sliding panel is provided for opening and closing the roof opening. The sliding panel slides horizontally in and out of the roof during opening and closing of the roof opening, besides being vertically lowered and raised as described below.
In a sliding roof for automobiles, the sliding panel is conventionally pressed downwardly by means of a spring in an attempt to prevent vibration in the sliding panel during running of the automobile while the roof opening is open and the sliding panel is housed in the roof. However, it is not practicable to provide a sufficient spring force to completely prevent vibration in the sliding roof. This is so because, when the spring force is increased or strengthened, the resistance of the spring force against the upward movement of the sliding panel becomes large. The upward movement of the sliding panel occurs at the final end of the closing stroke of the sliding panel. Accordingly, the reaction force is suddenly increased by the large spring force at the time of the upward movement of the closing stroke as compared with the force at the time the closing stroke was begun.